Every day this August I'll be spotlighting strange but ultimately endearing comic stories, one a day (basically, we're talking lots and lots of Silver Age comic books). Here is the archive of past installments of this feature.

Today we look at an odd Superman "mystery" from Superman #157...

In this story, written by Jerry Siegel and drawn by Curt Swan and George Klein, it is Superman Appreciation Day and an alien race has sent Superman a present - a computer that will answer any three questions you have about the future!

Naturally, Lois wastes one of the questions on a question that can't be verified, which thereby makes it useless as a "test" question...

So Jimmy has to test it with the second of THREE questions!! It is only three questions here! Of course, we should not let these waste of questions hide the fact that Superman thinks that both Linda Lee (his teenage cousin, who an earlier issue of Superman - also written by Siegel - has already been eliminated as a viable candidate) and his married mermaid ex-girlfriend, Lori Lemaris are viable options for marriage.

In addition, I shouldn't blame Jimmy for wasting questions when Clark himself wastes the final question just to get Perry White off of his back...but oh wait, the machine says LL instead of Superman! How will LL save him?

This leads us to the next day when Bizarro comes to celebrate Superman's day with some green kryptonite. Everyone is at the festivities so Superman is slowly dying at his own celebration! Superman then reflects on the history of LL in his life..

I love that in the Silver Age, not only were characters all dicks, but characters all quickly believed the worst of each other. "Lois and Lana are mocking my death!"

Anyhow, ultimately, a little kid saves him...

But is his name LL?!?!

Wow. That was one awful "mystery" by Siegel. But so bizarre that it was still worth reading!